Understanding prescription pet medicines

Some medications you may wish to purchase will require a veterinary prescription. A Veterinary Prescription is a legal document which must be written in accordance to UK Veterinary Medicines regulations and signed and dated by a registered vet, similar to a prescription you would get for yourself from your doctor. The prescription will include information such as the product (drug) name, dosage, patient and prescriber details.

Some veterinary medications are classed as POM-V (prescription only medicine - veterinary) and can only be bought with a valid written veterinary prescription. They are drugs that might be detrimental to the animal if used incorrectly (for the wrong condition or at the wrong dose rate). POM-V medicines are also drugs for which there may be public health implications, were they to be used incorrectly. The classification is therefore set to safeguard both your pet and UK public health. POM-VPS medicines are drugs that should only be used under supervision and direction by a suitably qualified person or vet. A written prescription is not required in order to purchase these drugs, but the person who is supplying them must collect and record enough information about the animal(s) that the medicines will be used to treat to determine whether their use is appropriate, to advise on correct dosage and administration and must make the user aware of any warnings associated with the product in question. NFA-VPS medicines are drugs not for use in food-producing animals, that also may be supplied without a written prescription by any vet, pharmacist or suitably qualified person. AVM-GSL medicines do not require a prescription, and can be bought from any authorised retailer. These drugs are generally less likely to cause adverse effects if used incorrectly. They are usually older drugs, for which vast amounts of data regarding safety margins exists.

This system of classifications exists to protect the health of your animal(s). Some medicines are only available with a prescription to ensure that the decision to use the drug has been made by a person qualified to assess the pet’s condition (ie. a vet), and that directions will be given for the correct use of the drug at the correct intervals. It also ensures that the drug will not be used for longer than necessary. Writing a prescription means that your vet passes on all this information to the vets and pharmacists at MedicAnimal, and that the drugs will be labelled with the correct dosage instructions, storage instructions and any warnings for you to follow.

The drugs we sell at MedicAnimal are identical to the drugs you would acquire from your Vet. We use the same suppliers as your vet, and only source UK licensed products. By law we must dispense to you exactly the drug on your prescription.

POM-V (Prescription Only Medicine-Veterinarian) are prescribed by a Veterinary Surgeon and supplied by either a Veterinary Surgeon or a Pharmacist to a person that holds a valid written prescription for the medicine.

POM-VPS (Prescription Only Medicine-Veterinarian, Pharmacist, Suitably qualified person) can be prescribed by any one of the registered qualified persons and supplied by any of them.

NFA-VPS (Non-Food Animal-Veterinarian, Pharmacist, Suitably qualified person) aresupplied by any one of the registered qualified persons.

AVMGSL (Authorised Veterinary Medicine-General Sales List) can be supplied by any retailer.

Vets can either produce their own prescription or you can print off a prescription from the website and take it to your vets to fill out.

Vets can write a prescription to last for up to 6 months medication and this could ensure you benefit from even greater savings on your medications by buying online. If you have a 6 month prescription then you can buy all the medications at once or buy from us month by month to spread the costs.